


That Girl Over There

by flipflop_diva



Category: Divergent Series - Veronica Roth
Genre: Best Friends, Collection: Purimgifts Day 3, During Canon, Friendship, Gen, Reflection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-25
Updated: 2016-03-25
Packaged: 2018-05-28 18:22:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6340249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flipflop_diva/pseuds/flipflop_diva
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Christina has never paid much attention to the Abnegation before, but today, she pays attention to her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	That Girl Over There

**Author's Note:**

  * For [scribblemyname](https://archiveofourown.org/users/scribblemyname/gifts).



> And here we are, the last day of the fest! I've had a lot of fun writing these for you. I hope you enjoyed them! (And I'm sorry I didn't know any of your other fandoms, so you were stuck with Divergent fics for all 3 days!)

Christina notices Tris right away. Not when they are racing down the stairs after the Choosing Ceremony nor when they are running for the train in their very first Dauntless test, but before that, when they are all filing into The Hub for the start of the ceremony. 

Christina and her mom and her sister are walking together, mixed in among the rest of Candor, a loud, noisy, opinionated mass of people, when they pass them, a group of Abnegation, walking slowly and steadily off to the side, as bland as they always are in their gray clothing. All of them alike, all of them quiet and meek. At least that is how Christina has always seen them, ever since she can remember. She doesn’t understand a faction that doesn’t speak their mind.

But on this day, it’s different for some reason — maybe it’s the excitement in the air, or the nerves that seem to be alive under her skin, crackling with energy. She knows what she’s going to do at the ceremony, and she’s ready. She’s been ready for years, it seems, but at the same time, she’s not ready at all. How do you just leave your life behind and everything you know? How do you really know you’re making the right decision?

But she pushes the nerves aside, and the secret doubts, because in just a short time, she is going to Dauntless, and the Dauntless don’t show fear. Ever.

This is what she is thinking when she is walking beside her mother and her sister, intermingled in the rest of Candor, but for some reason, the thoughts bouncing around in her head are making her notice things she has never noticed before. Like the small blonde girl in the crowd of Abnegation who looks more defiant than meek, more spirited than quiet, who looks stronger (even in her smallness) than all of the rest of them put together. 

In a group of people who don’t stand out at all — who aren’t supposed to stand out at all — this one lone girl imprints herself on Christina’s mind. And a little while later, when that same girl is standing in front of everyone, her blood dripping on to the burning coals of Dauntless, the sizzling sound of the liquid echoing around the room, Christina almost feels like she saw this moment coming.

She loses sight of the small blonde girl the second the Choosing Ceremony is over. There are too many people around them, too much happening at once, and she is too busy trying to follow her new faction to think about anything else.

She races down the stairs on the heels of the Dauntless member in front of her, a wild, excited, terrified shout echoing from her throat as she does. She makes the same sort of shout a few moments later when she is pulling herself into the moving train, her heartbeat pounding in excitement and anticipation and her skin flush with triumph.

That’s when she sees her again, the small blonde girl, desperately holding on to the handle of the train as the wind and the motion of the car knock her repeatedly into the wall. She is too small to pull herself in, but too strong to let go.

Christina reaches down, grabs her by the arm and pulls her. The small blonde girl comes tumbling inside. She looks grateful, and a little bewildered, as she thanks her.

There are all sorts of people in their Dauntless train compartment. Christina is bold, outgoing, unafraid of saying what she thinks — she already thinks she could pick any of them to be friends with. But there is only one girl who catches her interest, so she asks her if she’s all right, and when the girl nods, Christina smiles, tells her “I’m Christina,” and holds out her hand.

The small blonde girl looks confused for a second, unsure, but she takes Christina’s hand, shakes it a little timidly and tells her, “Beatrice.”

They stand together for the rest of the train journey, watching their new life come into view, and when it does, they take each other’s hand and jump off the edge of the train. A little while later, they follow each other down the leap of faith that is the plunge into Dauntless headquarters.

Christina doesn’t really know this small blonde girl — Beatrice. _Tris_ — yet. She doesn’t know about her life in Abnegation or who she really is or what she hopes to become. She doesn’t know yet that this girl — this small blonde girl who is probably the bravest and strongest of them all — will become her best friend when she’s not her worst enemy. She doesn’t know yet how they will hurt each other, heal each other, love each other.

But she does know, just by looking at her, just by her presence, that this girl will change her life.

And she’s ready for the change to begin.

**Author's Note:**

> 


End file.
